Campus strife flares
Wits shuts office, UJ students thwarted
We are saying that the wealthy ones must pay their own way
THE #FeesMustFall protests erupted on university campuses again yesterday, with students demanding an end to registration fees and financial exclusion.
The protests saw students clashing with security guards at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), while registration processes at Wits were effectively grounded and postponed to next week.
Suspended UJ student Xhamla Songwevu said they “demand free education for the poor and that no registration fee be paid”.
He was speaking as a tussle reminiscent of last year’s violent protests played out outside the Kingsway campus, with students and private security guards clashing because the institution refuses to allow those who have not registered access to the institution.
Returning students’ access cards have been deactivated until they register, the institution claims.
But students believe this is to keep them from accessing campuses and protesting there.
New and returning UJ students are supposed to register or enquire about admission online or through a call centre.
Deputy vice-chancellor for strategic services Mpho Letlape is adamant the online process doesn’t exclude poor students who have no access to the internet.
She said: “Over the past few years we have had an online registration mode and we don’t allow walk-ins onto the university. This is not a new thing. We communicated extremely thoroughly and directly with individuals who are coming to register that registration is only online. We do not have facilities or capacity right now to do registrations,” Letlape said.
She said those without access to the internet can get help from the call centre. “Of the 10 500 students we had last year, 28 percent were indigent students and 98 percent applied online. Our history says we have done this before and it has worked over the years,” she added.
A total of 92 000 people have applied for 10 500 first-year spaces at UJ.
Registrar Kinta Burger said the call centre, with more than 100 operators, had received calls from more than 40 000 students asking about registration and financial matters.
Songwevu, whose head had to be stitched following clashes with security guards last year, said: “It doesn’t make sense that students without internet access be expected to register online.”
He and two other students were suspended last year after the #FeesMustFall protests.
Responding to calls for free registrations, Letlape said up to 20 000 students were funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), the UJ top-up loan and the student representative council fund so they don’t have to pay registration fees.
But a stance taken by Wits University allowing poor students to register without upfront payment as long as they settled the registration fees by the end of March was rejected by the #FeesMustFall campaigners.
They reasoned that the short time reprieve was not going to help the poor students because if they didn’t have money now, they would not have it by the end of March.
Registration was supposed to have started yesterday, but the movement barricaded the fees and registration offices, saying no registration would take place unless it was free.
They also said they would keep fighting until the university does away with fees, as they wanted free education for every student.
The university decided that registration will be done online in the hope that calm will resume by tomorrow so that students can register in person.
Wits spokeswoman Shirona Patel said students who are unable to pay for the registration should approach the university and a payment plan would be worked out, or they could sign an acknowledgement of debt.
“The poorest of the poor will get NSFAS assistance. We are saying the wealthy ones must pay their own way. It’s actually those students in the middle who are affected. They need to bring an affidavit saying they cannot afford the registration fees. If you don’t have it in March, come talk to us and sign an acknowledgement of debt,” Patel said.